Searching for a hobby. What a weird thought. It seems that a hobby or interest shouldn't be something you have to actively look for or seek out. But in my case... I think it is. And I think it’s about time.
Some people have lots of hobbies and interests that they naturally fall into and pursue. Take my husband Brandon for example. He’s always got something going on – some project on the go, some activity he wants to join – and he has no qualms or hesitations to pursuing the things that interest him (a rather diverse set of activities). To name a few of the bigger ones... He is athletic and really enjoys team sports – as I mentioned in an earlier post, he is the workout king (we’re talking at least 5 and sometimes 6 times a week)! He also coaches basketball at the school where he works and is now playing in a pick-up league on a weekly basis. He has a love for animals and keeps a small collection of reptiles (a few lizards, a few snakes...) that he enjoys caring for. He’s considering turning this hobby/interest into a small business, breeding the critters so that they pay for themselves. He likes to take pictures – I bought him a digital SLR for our 2nd anniversary and he has since procured a few different lenses and likes to play around, taking pictures of everything from the smallest bugs to trees blowing in the wind. He enjoys reading and almost always has a book on the go – usually some sort of fantasy adventure.
I... on the other hand... don’t really have any specific hobbies or interests. Sure, there are things that I like to do and activities that interest me – but it seems like I get caught up in the day to day of life and don’t feel like I have the time for a hobby... or to develop a specific interest beyond a passing thought. Brandon encourages me to find stuff I like to do (other than making daily meals, caring for the girls, doing a good job at work, ...) but I can always find a reason that I don’t have time. I am either trying to find something that I can do with Brandon so that I can “kill 2 birds with one stone”, spend time with my hunny and do something fun (although I have to admit that my search for activities we can do together is not a very active search... rather a passive, for special occasions type of search if you know what I mean) or I’m just to tired at the end of the day to look into something fun to do. There is also the fact that I’m a little pre-occupied planning for very regular things like how to re-organize the workshop and laundry room downstairs to make them more functional... is renovating a hobby?
Finding things we can do as a couple... the tale of a failed attempt! For our 4 year wedding anniversary it was my turn to plan the celebrations. I really enjoy a getaway but I knew that just staying at a B&B, walking around a cute town and lying by the pool would bore Brandon out of his mind. I decided to plan a weekend of “active” outdoor activities so that I could get my weekend away at a beautiful B&B (check it out: http://www.maniatyn.com/main_ad.html) and we could try new things together. The two main activities that I planned were Arbre-en-arbre (a physical activity where you put on a harness and go through increasingly difficult obstacle course in the trees http://www.arbreenarbre.com/index.html ) and an 8 km kayaking excursion down the Missisquoi River (http://www.audiablevert.qc.ca/). Well... I discovered that weekend that I am particularly interested and drawn to yummy breakfast (okay... so that is something I already knew) and activities that Brandon really doesn’t enjoy (this wasn’t part of the plan). It turns out that Brandon isn’t so fond of heights and he only did half of the courses at Arbre en arbre because he was uncomfortable dangling in the tree tops. The kayaking trip probably would have been okay if his kayak hadn’t had a hole in it (sigh) making it impossible for him to paddle without incredible force once the kayak had filled up a little (double sigh).
Resolving to develop my own interests... though I’m not sure how I’ll find the time... Finding a hobby, pursuing interests... it takes time. Life is busy but I’m starting to see that it’s important to take the time needed to maintain the things that you want in your life... whether it’s your own body (& spirit), your family (& home), your friends or your interests.
But first things first – what do I like? What am I interested in? I listed a bunch of things that I “love” in my first blog, so that is a fair place to start. I love to eat, should I take a cooking class? Or maybe become a self-proclaimed food critic (I’m really not that picky though so I probably wouldn’t be all that critical)? I like coloring with my toddler and even tried a paint-by-number during my first maternity leave. Should I take a painting class? I love to sing (and was even quite good at it when my vocal chords were in practice). Singing lessons? Piano lessons? (tried piano lessons... and I’m just not patient enough to wait out the period of time where I’m really not good...) I pass a pilot school when I drive Layla to daycare and often think it would be neat to learn to fly. But it would be neat to do a lot of things... sky dive, hike, train for a triathlon, start skiing, paint, make ceramic bowls (seriously, it looks therapeutic), start a book club, write a blog --- wait a minute --- hold that thought ---
Could this blog be considered a hobby? Does it qualify? Could my new workout regimen be considered pursuing an interest? (not that it’s something I particularly enjoy doing... but it’s good for me and maybe it will grow on me). And I'm thinking of finally investing in a pair of ski's this winter even it means that it's something I do on my own...
Maybe, just maybe, I am on the right track. Maybe my problem is that I'm interested in too many things and need to narrow my interests down and just doing something. For fun. For me.
A.
the facebook phenomenon
Facebook is so weird. Sometimes I like it. Sometimes I don't.
On the up side, it's the easiest way to let almost everyone you know what's going on with you... whether you want to announce that you're pregnant, starting a blog (wink wink) or heck - doing the dishes! It's also a simple way to share pictures with friends and loved ones that you don't see very often... On the downside, it's easy to spend way too much time on facebook, doing nothing at all. And nowadays there are more and more questions related to privacy issues with all the information we provide to friends, friends of friends or anyone who wants to take a peek at our lives via this social networking site.
I check it every day. Often more than once. It's a distraction from whatever it is I should actually be doing (these days... usually some sort of house work). I go through all the status updates that come up on my home page and try to think of something witty to put for my own status (which often doesn't actually get posted cause I think it's too lame to share with EVERYONE). I check out my notifications and (most often) systematically ignore all the opportunities to add new applications and accept all the new friend request (unless I really have no idea who the request is coming from). And... like almost everyone I know, I find myself passing far too much time peeking into other people's lives... and sometimes (I'm a little embarrassed to admit) spying on my husband to see who he has been adding to his list of facebook friends (!)
I have 305 "friends" on facebook now and I've heard that a lot of people have way more than that. But what does that even mean? It certainly doesn't mean that I actually have that many friends or even that that many people care to check out my facebook page. Most of my "friends" are people that I have at some point crossed paths with. Some are current friends, family, co-workers - we send each other quick messages through the inbox or wall applications, we check out each others pictures and (sadly) sometimes use our contact via facebook as a replacement to actually getting together, picking up the phone or at least writing a more substantial e-mail. Some are old friends that I've found or who have found me - it has certainly been interesting to touch base with some of the people who have touched my little life so far (childhood friends, travel companions from when I was studying in France, etc.)... and of course... there are those that I'm not sure I was ever actually friends with. Weird.
Who else is looking at my facebook pages? Recently, I've heard a lot of weird things about the privacy issues that surround facebook. Some people are saying you shouldn't post pictures of your children because pedophiles might be looking at them. There are conspiracy theories that the government is using the site to develop personal profiles on citizens without having to ask for information. I've also heard that advertising companies are targeting users based on their profiles. The first one scared me for real. When I heard it, I went and changed all the privacy settings on my photo albums. The second and third one... quite frankly... they make me smirk. If you don't want your "info" to be public then the first step is NOT posting it on the Internet.
There are so many other things to say when it comes to the whole facebook phenomenon but I think I'll stop here. I've heard that twitter is different and that a lot of people like it better. I haven't ventured there yet. Maybe one day... although I don't know how I'll keep up with facebook, a new blog, tweeting... all the social networking. Does it make me old to think that way?
Now... if you'll excuse me...I'm going to go share this new post with all my facebook friends!
A.
On the up side, it's the easiest way to let almost everyone you know what's going on with you... whether you want to announce that you're pregnant, starting a blog (wink wink) or heck - doing the dishes! It's also a simple way to share pictures with friends and loved ones that you don't see very often... On the downside, it's easy to spend way too much time on facebook, doing nothing at all. And nowadays there are more and more questions related to privacy issues with all the information we provide to friends, friends of friends or anyone who wants to take a peek at our lives via this social networking site.
I check it every day. Often more than once. It's a distraction from whatever it is I should actually be doing (these days... usually some sort of house work). I go through all the status updates that come up on my home page and try to think of something witty to put for my own status (which often doesn't actually get posted cause I think it's too lame to share with EVERYONE). I check out my notifications and (most often) systematically ignore all the opportunities to add new applications and accept all the new friend request (unless I really have no idea who the request is coming from). And... like almost everyone I know, I find myself passing far too much time peeking into other people's lives... and sometimes (I'm a little embarrassed to admit) spying on my husband to see who he has been adding to his list of facebook friends (!)
I have 305 "friends" on facebook now and I've heard that a lot of people have way more than that. But what does that even mean? It certainly doesn't mean that I actually have that many friends or even that that many people care to check out my facebook page. Most of my "friends" are people that I have at some point crossed paths with. Some are current friends, family, co-workers - we send each other quick messages through the inbox or wall applications, we check out each others pictures and (sadly) sometimes use our contact via facebook as a replacement to actually getting together, picking up the phone or at least writing a more substantial e-mail. Some are old friends that I've found or who have found me - it has certainly been interesting to touch base with some of the people who have touched my little life so far (childhood friends, travel companions from when I was studying in France, etc.)... and of course... there are those that I'm not sure I was ever actually friends with. Weird.
Who else is looking at my facebook pages? Recently, I've heard a lot of weird things about the privacy issues that surround facebook. Some people are saying you shouldn't post pictures of your children because pedophiles might be looking at them. There are conspiracy theories that the government is using the site to develop personal profiles on citizens without having to ask for information. I've also heard that advertising companies are targeting users based on their profiles. The first one scared me for real. When I heard it, I went and changed all the privacy settings on my photo albums. The second and third one... quite frankly... they make me smirk. If you don't want your "info" to be public then the first step is NOT posting it on the Internet.
There are so many other things to say when it comes to the whole facebook phenomenon but I think I'll stop here. I've heard that twitter is different and that a lot of people like it better. I haven't ventured there yet. Maybe one day... although I don't know how I'll keep up with facebook, a new blog, tweeting... all the social networking. Does it make me old to think that way?
Now... if you'll excuse me...I'm going to go share this new post with all my facebook friends!
A.
Where did my body go?
I recently gave birth to my second daughter - sweet little Meaghan. After a rough pregnancy and rather intense labour experience my poor body felt and looked like it had been through a battle - and I have the wonderful scars (aka stretch marks) to prove it.
This being my second time around, I wasn't expecting my body to bounce right back into shape - nor was I expecting to have any sort of motivation to do the work necessary to get it there. Especially knowing that no matter how much work I put in, my stomach will never look like it did before kids (something I have yet to come to terms with). I was lucky to lose about 3/4 of the weight and fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans within the first few weeks thanks to regular dog walks and the fact that breast feeding uses up so many calories! And at the six week mark (which for some reason all the books and experts say is the healthy time to start moderate exercise) I began working out, following a DVD "Get your body back after baby" by FitPregnancy. Personally I found the exercises and routines a little too easy but they got me off my butt and moving - which I think was a key first step.
For the last 3 weeks or so I've been trying something called "ten-minute trainer". It's a program by Tony Horton (beachbody.com) and is basically a bunch of ten-minute workouts that focus on different areas (lower body, yoga, total body, abs, cardio). The idea being that you can get a good workout in just 10 minutes. While 10 minutes is ultra doable - the key is doing at least 2 or 3 a day (bringing me up to 30 minutes plus a warm up and cool down). I'm actually VERY PROUD to say that I've been sticking to it and doing about 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week for almost 3 full weeks. This may not be very impressive to some people, and it may seem amazing to others. For me - it's great. I don't think I've stuck to an exercise routine of any kind in years - at least since I got pregnant with Layla and probably since my wedding. Raise your hand if you were also in the best shape of your life for your wedding day!
The results aren't amazing - yet - but I am sold on the program and I fully believe that I'll start to see real results soon. For now I'm trying to stay motivated by focusing on the fact that I feel great after I do my 3 daily workouts, I feel like my body is toning up (albeit under a soft layer of extra padding, but still...) and it makes me sweat more than any work out I've ever done so it HAS to be working.
To be perfectly honest, staying motivated up to this point hasn't been too hard. I'm blessed with a teacher for a husband, so with the arrival of summer vacation he has been home a lot more the last few weeks. With him taking Layla to walk the dog after breakfast and Meaghan settling into a good nap schedule I definitely have the time. He's also the workout KING. I sometimes think he has a mild case of OCD when it comes to exercise... or maybe he's just addicted to the endorphins! He is keeping me motivated in more ways than one - He helps me find the time, he encourages me to do it when I don't feel like it and (sigh) I just want to look as good as he does!
Can I keep it up though? That is the question...
A.
This being my second time around, I wasn't expecting my body to bounce right back into shape - nor was I expecting to have any sort of motivation to do the work necessary to get it there. Especially knowing that no matter how much work I put in, my stomach will never look like it did before kids (something I have yet to come to terms with). I was lucky to lose about 3/4 of the weight and fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans within the first few weeks thanks to regular dog walks and the fact that breast feeding uses up so many calories! And at the six week mark (which for some reason all the books and experts say is the healthy time to start moderate exercise) I began working out, following a DVD "Get your body back after baby" by FitPregnancy. Personally I found the exercises and routines a little too easy but they got me off my butt and moving - which I think was a key first step.
For the last 3 weeks or so I've been trying something called "ten-minute trainer". It's a program by Tony Horton (beachbody.com) and is basically a bunch of ten-minute workouts that focus on different areas (lower body, yoga, total body, abs, cardio). The idea being that you can get a good workout in just 10 minutes. While 10 minutes is ultra doable - the key is doing at least 2 or 3 a day (bringing me up to 30 minutes plus a warm up and cool down). I'm actually VERY PROUD to say that I've been sticking to it and doing about 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week for almost 3 full weeks. This may not be very impressive to some people, and it may seem amazing to others. For me - it's great. I don't think I've stuck to an exercise routine of any kind in years - at least since I got pregnant with Layla and probably since my wedding. Raise your hand if you were also in the best shape of your life for your wedding day!
The results aren't amazing - yet - but I am sold on the program and I fully believe that I'll start to see real results soon. For now I'm trying to stay motivated by focusing on the fact that I feel great after I do my 3 daily workouts, I feel like my body is toning up (albeit under a soft layer of extra padding, but still...) and it makes me sweat more than any work out I've ever done so it HAS to be working.
To be perfectly honest, staying motivated up to this point hasn't been too hard. I'm blessed with a teacher for a husband, so with the arrival of summer vacation he has been home a lot more the last few weeks. With him taking Layla to walk the dog after breakfast and Meaghan settling into a good nap schedule I definitely have the time. He's also the workout KING. I sometimes think he has a mild case of OCD when it comes to exercise... or maybe he's just addicted to the endorphins! He is keeping me motivated in more ways than one - He helps me find the time, he encourages me to do it when I don't feel like it and (sigh) I just want to look as good as he does!
Can I keep it up though? That is the question...
A.
My first time...
I'm a little nervous, but also kind of excited to be starting my very own blog "A.O.K". At the moment there are so many ideas buzzing around in my head - I feel like I'm trying to start a magazine! To simplify things (and try to gain a little focus) let me start by introducing myself and why I've decided to give blogging a try...
"Hi!" I'm Andrea. I'm 27, married to my high school sweet heart (Brandon) and have 2 beautiful girls (Layla and Meaghan), a dog (Reuben), a cat (Reggie) and other pets that I don't really consider my own (I'm sure there will be more about them in future posts). I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia but have lived the last 22+ years on the South Shore of Montreal, Quebec (so yes, I speak french too). I work in communications or "PR". I'm a Christian. There's the facts.
I love... God, my husband, my girls, my family, my friends... eating, kissing, swimming, organizing, decorating, cooking, baking (did I mention eating?), vacation, wine, coffee, reading a good book, ice cream, the beach, sleeping, massages, singing (mostly in the shower or with my babies), decorating, evening walks, the smell of summer...
I'm not a fan of... needles, cantalope, pregnancy (although of course I love the end result!), cleaning the bathroom, ... that's all I can come up with right now, though I'm sure I'll think of more once I stop writing.
This blog is a chance for me to share my experiences (or lack there of), my ideas and opinions with others. I don't have a specific theme but I know that I will write mostly about my experiences as a wife, a mother, a friend, a professional - the highs, the lows, the pretty and the ugly moments of this life - as I try to achieve some balance in it all. Here's a sample of the kind of things I'll be blogging about over the next little while, unless of course life gives me some more interesting things to share with whoever wants to read...
- sleeping through the night
- my baby is smarter than yours
- loving what he loves (or at least trying to)
- Jealous with a capital J
- Learning to accept AND love "me"
- I want a hobby!
- Recognizing the face in the mirror
- Cleaning under the fridge & dusting the base boards
Hope this piques your interest and you'll join me for the ride as I figure out how this "blog" thing works!
A.
"Hi!" I'm Andrea. I'm 27, married to my high school sweet heart (Brandon) and have 2 beautiful girls (Layla and Meaghan), a dog (Reuben), a cat (Reggie) and other pets that I don't really consider my own (I'm sure there will be more about them in future posts). I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia but have lived the last 22+ years on the South Shore of Montreal, Quebec (so yes, I speak french too). I work in communications or "PR". I'm a Christian. There's the facts.
I love... God, my husband, my girls, my family, my friends... eating, kissing, swimming, organizing, decorating, cooking, baking (did I mention eating?), vacation, wine, coffee, reading a good book, ice cream, the beach, sleeping, massages, singing (mostly in the shower or with my babies), decorating, evening walks, the smell of summer...
I'm not a fan of... needles, cantalope, pregnancy (although of course I love the end result!), cleaning the bathroom, ... that's all I can come up with right now, though I'm sure I'll think of more once I stop writing.
This blog is a chance for me to share my experiences (or lack there of), my ideas and opinions with others. I don't have a specific theme but I know that I will write mostly about my experiences as a wife, a mother, a friend, a professional - the highs, the lows, the pretty and the ugly moments of this life - as I try to achieve some balance in it all. Here's a sample of the kind of things I'll be blogging about over the next little while, unless of course life gives me some more interesting things to share with whoever wants to read...
- sleeping through the night
- my baby is smarter than yours
- loving what he loves (or at least trying to)
- Jealous with a capital J
- Learning to accept AND love "me"
- I want a hobby!
- Recognizing the face in the mirror
- Cleaning under the fridge & dusting the base boards
Hope this piques your interest and you'll join me for the ride as I figure out how this "blog" thing works!
A.
Contact
Have a comment or question? Want to get in touch with me?
Send me an e-mail!
ok.with.andrea@gmail.com
A.
Send me an e-mail!
ok.with.andrea@gmail.com
A.
"Hi!" I'm Andrea.
I'm 28, married to my high school sweet heart (Brandon) and have 2 beautiful girls (Layla and Meaghan), a dog (Reuben), a cat (Reggie) and other pets that I don't really consider my own.
I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia but have lived the last 22+ years on the South Shore of Montreal, Quebec (so yes, I speak french too).I have my hands full at home with the man, the girls, the pets and all the renovation project ideas swirling around in my head - but I also have an "office" job - in communications. I started writing A.O.K, my first personal blog in July 2009 - one of these days the right person is going to read it and I'll get a book deal out of it! Right!?!? I'm also an Usborne books consultant. I think that's it... for now.
I love... God, my husband, my girls, my family, my friends... eating, kissing, swimming, organizing, decorating, cooking, baking (did I mention eating?), vacation, wine, coffee, reading a good book, ice cream, the beach, sleeping, massages, singing (mostly in the shower or with my babies), decorating, evening walks, the smell of summer...
I'm not a fan of... needles, cantalope, pregnancy (although of course I love the end result!), cleaning the bathroom, ... that's all I can come up with right now.
This blog is my hobby. It's my outlet. It's where I share my experiences (or lack there of), my ideas and opinions with anyone willing to read. If you stick around you'll notice that I don't have a specific theme but I do write mostly about my experiences as a wife, a mother, the house "chef", a friend, a professional - the highs, the lows, the pretty and the ugly moments of this life - as I try to achieve some balance in it all.
A.
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